His expression remained troubled, but I didn’t have time to reassure him.
“I gotta run. You still hanging out with Shayla?”
“Yeah, she’s terrifying. She tries to guess the lines men are going to use on her, and she’s right more often than not.”
His disgusted expression made me giggle.
“I want to hear all about it, but if I don’t get back to work, Neil and Bethany are going to kick my ass.”
His lips lifted in that half-smile I wanted to kiss, and I fled before I gave in.
Later, I ran into Shayla in the bathroom. She was freshening her lipstick in the mirror when I came out to wash my hands.
“Your friend is fun to tease,” she said. “Too bad he’s not available.”
My heart beat faster. Of course she’s interested in Jake.
“He just got out of a long-term relationship,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, he told me.”
“He did?”
“I wore him down,” she said with a sultry laugh I liked a lot more when it wasn’t about Jake. “I’ve got my sights set on one of the artists who’s in town for the weekend. He seems like he’d be fun.”
Relief made me weak, but I frowned.
“Be careful.”
She eyed me in the mirror.
“You should be a little less so.”
She blew me a kiss and sashayed out of the bathroom, but I was rooted to the floor. Does she know I’m interested in Jake? Does he know?
When a group of twenty-somethings pushed into the bathroom, I jerked out of my stupor, finished my business, and returned to work.
Shayla left with a silver fox and a jaunty wave, and I grilled Jake about her date.
“Shayla’s a grown adult who can leave with whomever she wants,” he said. “If makes you feel any better, she texted a photo of his driver’s license to her sister.”
“It could be fake.”
Jake’s mouth quirked.
“He’s one of the special guest artists at the festival. I recognized him.”
Disgruntled, I returned to work. The night dragged, but finally, we kicked everyone out, and the dishes were loaded. I slogged through cleanup, grateful when Jake took out the trash. It had been a long day, and all I wanted was a hot bath and sleep.
Once we locked up, I climbed into Big Blue, and a yawn ripped through me.
“Thanks for helping tonight. You didn’t have to.”
“I don’t mind.”
“And thanks for picking me up. Neil would have dropped me off.”
He shrugged dismissively. I settled back against the bench seat. The next thing I knew, Jake shook me awake.
